Dangerous Levels of Air Pollution in Ankara

Traffic is a contributor to dirty air in Turkey's capital. Photograph by bddemir via flickr.

In December 1952, the city of London was beset by what is now known as the Great Smog or "killer fog." It was a particularly chilly winter that year, so residents were burning a lot of coal, which got trapped under a dense layer of cold air. In the following weeks and months, up to 12,000 people died of respiratory diseases and related illnesses. During this incident, pollution levels rose over 4,000 micrograms per cubic meter. Last week in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, they topped that.Pollution levels hit 5,070 micrograms per cubic meter in the Sıhhiye district of Ankara, reports the Hürriyet Daily News. Air quality is thought to be worsening because of the increasing use of coal in the wintertime, as well as the year-round problems caused by motor vehicles and rapid urbanization.